“Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.”
~ Martin Luther King Jr.
Who could have ever imagined that a 30 second Cheerios commercial might trigger an international discussion on racism. But sadly, this seems to be the case as the newest spot featuring an interracial family has drawn so much online hate that the cereal manufacturer finally had to disable comments on their official YouTube channel.
The advertisement, “Just Checking” features a little girl asking her mother if Cheerios are good for your heart. When the mother answers yes, the little girl race off with Cheerios box in hand.
The next scene depicts the little girl’s African American father waking up from a most restful couch slumber, covered in the tasty oat treats—thus, reaffirming this little girls desire to make sure her Father takes good care of his health.
It’s adorable, and ‘giggle out loud’, all kinds of cute. And, it’s a real world view into the typical American family.
So, why all the hate?
With over 1.7 million views just within this past week, you would think that these numbers would speak to some sort of approval rating. However, in a commercial that concludes with the word ‘Love’ at the end—it seems the majority of these views were from hate-filled online audience viewers.
I don’t understand racism.
When I look into another person’s eyes, I see their humanity first—and I cherish this most beautiful palette, called ‘human.’ The people I meet are much like flowers in my garden—each unique in magnificently beautiful way.
We are all really very much the same, are we not? In that, the same heart begs compassion’s light—irrespective of the shade that may be covering it.
No, I don’t suppose I shall ever understand this kind of hatred. Nor, will I ever understand how a 30 second commercial spot could garner this much public outrage.
Though, perhaps these online, and mostly anonymous commenters, would benefit by a ‘just checking’ of their very own egos?
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